For as arrogant as professional athletes can appear, their strong belief in superstitions suggests they don’t have as much faith in their abilities as they’d like us to believe. Most athletes have some kind of ritual they go through before playing a game, which can be as simple as putting on their equipment in a certain order or eating a specific food. But some people take their compulsions to an extreme, whether it’s a player, a team’s fans, or...
College football is an incredibly difficult game to master. With the speed, strength and complexity of the schemes, it’s unreasonable to expect a first-year player to make an immediate impact. But, when a freshman or JUCO transfer can productively fill a position of need, it can catapult his team to a different level. Before last season, few college football fans knew about Cam Newton — a year later, Auburn is the defending national champion and Carolina Panthers fans are...
Last time I checked the University of Michigan did not officially own or lease any twin engine Lear jets such as the one pictured above. However, this bad boy is owned by mega-booster and former president of the Michigan Alumni Association, Rich Rogel, who hails from Colorado, but happened to land his plane in the Baton Rouge Metro Airport twice in three days. Perhaps Rogel is leading the charge, or at least picking up the tab, to woo Les...
Looking back before last season, the Big 10 failed miserably come post-season play. However, this season the Big 10 is looking very strong despite struggles from yester-year. On Tuesday, Iowa took down #12 Missouri 27-24 in the Insight Bowl and on Wednesday Illinois, surprising to some, dominated Baylor 38-14 in the Texas Bowl. The conference is starting to show that it is finally out of its slump and returning back to elite status. To the true fan, this turn-around...
Although Cam Newton is the face of Auburn football, the Tigers boast a punishing three-headed rushing attack that has left defensive coordinators struggling to find ways to slow it down this season. However, what they’ve learned in the process is that you cannot stop it; you can only hope to try to find ways of containing it. Michael Dyer, Onterio McCalebb, and Mario Fannin are averaging over 5 yards per carry this season and have been instrumental in...
On January 3, 2007, Nick Saban agreed to become Alabama’s 27th head coach. Both the Tide and Saban were the butt of many jokes across the nation. College football fans from Eugene, OR, to West Palm Beach, FL, were placing bets on how long it would be before Saban left the Crimson Tide for greener pastures elsewhere. Thirty-eight wins later, it looks as if Saban and Alabama are having the last laugh. For a conference that prides itself on being the...
Before No.18 North Carolina boarded the team plane for Atlanta to play No. 21 LSU, critics nationwide had written the Tar Heels off. Pundits from San Diego to South Beach declared that UNC didn’t stand a chance given the 13 suspensions handed down late last week amidst accusations of cheating and an illegal agent benefit scandal. The Tar Heels headed into Saturday night’s Kick-Off Classic missing the heart and soul of their football team. Starting defensive tackle Marvin Austin,...
The first part of this Iowa news series received such a warm reception by Hawkeye Nation, hopefully part two promises more of the same. Apparently, Hawkeye football in Iowa is more popular than corn subsidies. Iowans from Sioux City to Waterloo either left comments or shot-off emails, sticking up for their head coach, with some using a few choice words to do so. Nonetheless, I would not expect any different from any true college football fan in coming to the aid and defense of their...
